LEWISTON – The Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute will offer Quit for Life, a five-session workshop designed to teach participants to become tobacco-free, beginning Wednesday, Jan. 17.

The workshop will include instruction on preparing to quit, getting through the first few days without tobacco, avoiding triggers to start using again and staying tobacco-free forever.

Participants will have the opportunity to have their cardiovascular risk assessed with the Scorekeeper Health Risk Assessment, which provides participants with an individualized health risk profile. Included in the Scorekeeper assessment is a non-fasting cholesterol test.

Quit for Life participants will receive time-tested coping strategies,information on overcoming addiction, preventing relapse, managing stress, exercise and nutrition. To address the addictive nature of nicotine, the program will explain the benefits of nicotine replacement (including patch, gum, lozenge, nasal spray, inhaler), Zyban and Chantix, how they are used and what the side effects might be.

The group setting will provide support and the opportunity to share ideas about successful strategies for quitting tobacco.

Wendy Tardif, a certified tobacco treatment specialist, will serve as facilitator. She has more than 15 years of experience in helping individuals become tobacco-free. She is a consultant for the Center for Tobacco Independence and is part of a statewide training team for the certification of tobacco specialists.

Quit for Life participants will have a direct link through Tardif to the medication voucher program at the Maine Tobacco Helpline. The medication voucher program provides free nicotine replacement for those without insurance coverage.

This workshop series will begin Jan. 17 in the Wellness Center Multi-Purpose Room at Central Maine Medical Center. Other class dates are Jan. 24 and 31, and Feb. 7 and 14. Quit Day will be Jan. 31. The classes will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

A fee will be charged for participation, but no one will be turned away because of inability to pay. Class size is limited and pre-registration is required. To register for the program, call Aaron Swift at 795-2473.